The present invention pertains to electronic commerce and business. More particularly, the present invention relates to aggregating, enhancing, and distributing content objects with customers over a network-based environment such as via the Internet or some other form of interactive network.
The storage and retrieval of information has evolved from storing and retrieving information in textbooks and libraries, to storing and retrieving information from online networks such as the Internet. More particularly, the recent adoption and acceptance of online networks such as the Internet has led to a significant increase in the availability of information to the general public. Users frequently access information from the Internet using a personal computer (PC) and a modem. With such a computer, a user can search through the world""s best libraries, connect into computer systems located anywhere on the planet, and read online magazines. Furthermore, users can shop for almost anything, located nearly anywhere in the world. However, this greatly expanded capability to retrieve information has led to a syndrome that can best be characterized as xe2x80x9csipping information from a fire hosexe2x80x9d. As a result, users become overwhelmed and either fail to find the information they seek or they lose track of the information. As a result of losing track of the information, they cannot find it again at a later point in time. Several techniques have evolved in order to enable a user to collect desirable information from the Internet. However, each of these techniques falls far short of meeting the needs of information providers and information users.
More recently, the World Wide Web (WWW) has become the main vehicle for delivering information over the Internet to users. The World Wide Web (WWW) is a network system that enables easy access to distributed documents over the Internet using a client/server architecture. The World Wide Web provides an Internet facility that links documents locally and remotely. A Web document, referred to as a Web page, includes links in a page that let users jump from page to page (hypertext links) whether the pages are stored on the same server or on servers around the world. These Web pages are accessed and read via a Web browser such as Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer.
A user often looks for information on the World Wide Web (WWW) during an online session using a Web search engine, such as AltaVista, Google, or Yahoo! In order to locate items of interest by way of hypertext links, many search engines gather information about content that is available on the Internet using Web crawlers. A Web crawler is a program that gathers information by following hypertext links that have been encountered by the program. The program sends a universal resource locator (URL), as well as document text, back to indexing software on the search engine for each encountered document. The indexing software extracts information from the documents. For example, words, document size and date of creation can be extracted by the indexing software. Such information has been organized into a database, typically based on the frequency of use of individual words present within a document. Accordingly, a keyword search that is implemented by a user with the search engine results in a database being searched, and a search result being generated without actually going directly to the World Wide Web (WWW). The search engine then generates a results page having hypertext links to the Web pages that were located in the database. A user then merely clicks on the link in order to go to the corresponding Web page. However, the World Wide Web (WWW) has merely increased the accessibility of large amounts of information to Internet users.
There is a need, therefore, to provide improvements in the way demand for information is identified, content is generated in response to a defined demand, and the way in which users access desired information.
A system and method are provided to document and quantify demand for particular information that is a requested by an individual user by sampling a worldwide user community by way of a networked system. Accordingly, user demand is aggregated in order to learn what information is desired by people. The aggregated demand is then used to compel a contributor to contribute information such as content objects. Additionally, information in the form of content objects available on the networked system is enhanced by way of an approval. process, by ranking content, and by categorizing content. Furthermore, content is distributed to users in several manners: by way of a primary Web site, and by way of predetermined but dynamic groups of aggregated content objects which are made available via banners and/or tokens.
According to one aspect, an apparatus is provided for distributing information over a network-based environment. The apparatus includes a first client, a server, and a second client. The server communicates with the first client via a communication link and includes a database operative to store indicia associated with at least one content object and user identifiers. The second client communicates with the server over a communication link. The second client is remote from the first client and is operative to submit indicia and a user identifier to the server. In response to submission of the indicia and the user identifier; at least one of: (a) a content object, and (b) a link to the content object are received into a personalized access point of the server. The user can access the personalized access point of the server with the first client.
According to another aspect, a method is provided for distributing information to users. The method includes: providing a database capable of being associated with content objects that are accessible over a communication medium by a user at a client; associating at least one content object with a distribution mechanism; requesting a desired one of the at least one content object; and receiving the requested content object into a network-based personalized access point.
According to yet another aspect, a method is provided for associating content objects with a database wherein the content objects are accessible over a network communication medium by a user. The method includes: receiving a suggestion for a new content object for addition to the database; approving the suggested content object; generating a list of information users desiring the approved content object; compelling an information provider to provide the desired content object based at least in part on demand identified by the generated list; and making the generated content object available to the database.
According to even another aspect, a method is provided for distributing information to users. The method includes: providing a database on a server at a first location operative to store indicators that are associated with content objects, wherein the content objects are accessible over a communication link; presenting an indicator at a visually perceptible location to a user; while at a second location, submitting the indicator and a user identifier to the server at the first location; and in response to submitting the indicator and the user identifier, subscribing to one of: (a) a content object associated with the link, and (b) a link to the content object; and receiving one of the content object and the link into a personalized access point; wherein the personalized access point is viewable at a third location provided in communication with the web-based server over a communication link.